70K
Against The Grain Brewery & Smokehouse

Treyliff from West Virginia

4.1/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle poured into a snifter
2016 Vintage

A- pours jet black in color with a one-finger dark brown head that has short retention before settling to a ring

S- dark roasted and charred malt, chocolate, black licorice, oaky bourbon, hint of vanilla

T- dark chocolate and charred malt up front, followed by notes of anise, molasses and barrel oak. The finish gives more char, with some oaky bourbon on the linger

M- medium body with moderate-low carbonation leads to a slightly foamy mouthfeel that continues into the finish

Jan 01, 2021

Eddieeight from Ohio

4.48/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Purchased for $18 nov 2020 750ml bottle, 13% abv. . Like a wine bottle but I’ll be having it all to myself. Pour is lovely, dark brown with the deepest burgundy hue tinging the color. Nice half inch tan head but quickly dissipates and leaves no lacing whatsoever. Scent is of raisins, cherries, and plums, busting out with that faint hint of bourbon which I like so much. Taste is not quite as startling as some similar bourbon stouts, it is gentler and is very sweet on first sip. Notes of dark fruit and mild chocolate, but the bourbon doesn’t enter the palate until after the beer is swallowed, lingering in the aftertaste. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, with mild yet sparkling effervescence. Overall a good brew, although there’s nothing in the flavor profile that stands out or is unique compared to other similar brews. I’d be curious to try the 35k, and to compare the two since they are advertised to be similar, but this one double the intensity. Not bad for the day after thanksgiving!

Nov 28, 2020

peabody from Kentucky

4.21/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2015 bottle into a tulip. Lots of small brown bubbles that lace the clear glass from top to empty.
Sweet caramel/toffee and date/raisin up front. The bourbon barrel flavor is almost unnoticeable. Just a slight hint of sour oak then all flavors disappear except for the roasted malt char.
The 13% abv can't be felt at all even after the flavor leaves the palate.
Not much for the nose but this is a wonderful treat for all the other senses.

Oct 04, 2020

kitch from Hong Kong

4.35/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A 750ml tightly foiled bottle, with no bottled on or best before date. Poured into a snifter glass.

Appearance: Black in colour with a thin half finger brown head that dissipated fairly quickly but left nice spotty lacing.

Aroma: Dark roasty malt, chocolate, bourbon, molasses, oak, vanilla, boozy.

Taste: Sweet, light roast, bourbon, molasses, brown sugar, chocolate, oak, vanilla, marshmallow, with dried dark fruit and boozy notes.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.

Overall: A very nice sipper with the sweetness balanced by good roast and chocolate notes.

Aug 14, 2020

firesidewithphil from Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

70k is a decadent double chocolate stout. The barrel is light and dry. The beer is super sticky and fudgy, a total brownie experience.

@firesidewithphil

May 20, 2020

stortore from Illinois

4.4/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

750 ml bottle into a snifter. Had 2/22/19.

Pours near black, thick looking and opaque, with a half inch foamy head and some light foamy lacing. Aromas of bourbon, chocolate, malt, oak, tobacco, caramel, molasses, some char, some figs and prunes. Flavors of bourbon, malt, oak, chocolate, prunes, caramel, molasses, some tobacco, light figs. A little sweet. Smooth, creamy, a solid full body, well carbonated.

Terrific barrels, great aromas and flavors, gets better as you work through the bottle. Very enjoyable. Has a high price point, but certainly worth at least a one time purchase.

Feb 27, 2020

maximum12 from Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Man, remember the days AtG was a sought-after trade commodity? It was a long spell ago. Ahhh, foolish youth. 750ML bottle split with my wife.

I didn’t look, but I’ll be it’s dark. Probably black. Or dark brown. The nose spells light bourbon & chocolate, with roast the dominant factor.

70K sounds like what my girls will be paying annually for college. This beast arrives on wings of alkeehall, which I find increasingly debilitating at my rapidly advancing age. It took me a while, but I know exactly what this is: wood-infused marshmallow soaked in bourbon. Strong marshmallow. I don’t get any roast, but it’s plenty smooth & milkier than being 13 months pregnant.

If this beer were a Greek God it would be Helius. Very good brew.

Feb 13, 2020

jzeilinger from Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A - Dark brown pour with a caramel creamy lacing ring. Lots of legs on the sides of the glass as it oozes down the sides.

S - Deep milk chocolate and bourbon, vanilla, oak.

T - Lots of roasted cocoa, milk chocolate, bourbon, oak, there's also a small amount dark fruit.

M - Thick and silky with light warming on the way down.

O - Pretty impressive overall.

Dec 30, 2019

q33jeff from New Jersey

4.36/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

**
12/01/19

Bottle to snifter.

LOOK: jet black with a very big foamy head. Excellent retention. Big bubbles in the foam and several shades if tan / beige / light brown resulting in a creamy hot chocolate or cappuccino like head.
AROMA: bourbon, vanilla, chocolate.
TASTE: chocolate milk with a hint of bourbon. 13.0% abv is so well masked it is only somewhat apparent b/c of the bourbon flavor.

FEEL: creamy and full bodied.

**

Dec 01, 2019

VABA from Virginia

4.3/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A-Pours a dark color with a slight head and lacing
A-Aroma has very slight Bourbon and lactose hints
T-The taste follows the nose with slight Bourbon and lactose flavors
M-A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
O-A good Milk Stout

Sep 13, 2019

Bluerabbitbell from Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Date night at Caliente Pizza and draft house. Interestingly had the same night as Founder's CBS. Not very different in flavor. If you ate looking for a sweet imperial... Here ya go!

Nov 24, 2018

degueulasse from California

4.21/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

This is a thick beer with little carbonation that pours deep black into the glass with little head. It smells like maple and tastes like bourbon and chocolate (65% cacao or so), making it a nice, roasty, sweet beer with a more complex taste than most.

Nov 21, 2018

EMH73 from New York

4.37/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours black with a quarter inch light brown head that left good lacing. Smells and tastes of dark chocolate, espresso, roasted malts, vanilla, bourbon, oak, licorice and a bit of dark fruits. Heavy bodied, lush and creamy mouth feel, light carbonation and just a hint of bitterness on the finish.

Nov 18, 2018

Scott17Taylor from Iowa

4.56/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Outstanding barrel aged stout. The chocolate and espresso notes are definitely the most dominate, but there is a vanilla that comes through mid palate that almost resembles a chocolate covered marshmallow. The barrel is very well done, the bourbon notes are very pronounced but aren’t overpowering, they play really well into the chocolate, dark fruit, and roastiness. The mouthfeel is thick and coating, I love these syrupy imperial stouts. This is one of the better ones I’ve had and I would recommend searching it out.

Nov 11, 2018

Beersnake1 from California

4.53/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Poured from fridge temp. Pours a thick and creamy black with little dark brown head. Looks insanely appealing. I get the bourbon immediately on the nose, which I love. Some nice chocolate, licorice, vanilla, and toffee. The taste is fantastic. Sweet upfront, but a bit bitter on the tail end. Getting tons of dark chocolate, coffee, licorice, roasted malts, brown sugar, vanilla, and bourbon. Also picking up some raisin. The bourbon notes definitely linger in the aftertaste. This has an incredibly robust mouthfeel - super thick and viscous. This is how a BA should be. Definitely at the top of the list for me.

Oct 13, 2018

brentk56 from North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours almost pitch black with a one finger tan head which fades; leggy, with some spots left behind

Smell: Milk chocolate, marshmallow and vanilla cream, enveloped in a cloak of Bourbon aromatics

Taste: Milk chocolate covered marshmallows in liquid form, with the sweetened vanilla tone building; through the middle, the Bourbon adds another dimension, cutting the sweetness ever so slightly; the blend of the chocolate confection and the Bourbon linger in the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low to moderate carbonation; warmth in the gullet

Overall: A very sweet stout and, while it is well-crafted for what it is, this is clearly a dessert beer to enjoy in limited quantity - bottling this in a 750 makes no sense to me

Oct 12, 2018

AyatollahGold from Indiana

4.54/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

35k is one of the best milk/sweet stouts I've ever had. And this is the recipe doubled and then aged in bourbon barrels. So in the honor of winning gold medal of aged stout at GABF this week, I will be enjoying this 750 ml. bottle poured into a snifter. Excited to see what it brings. This beer pours out pitch black and forms a nice mocha colored crown that dissipates to leaving an outer ring with some misty bubbles remaining in the middle. The smell is strong with dark fruit, bourbon, oak, caramel and even vanilla. Wow. I hope this complexity carries on in to the flavor. But for now I can't stop smelling. Alright, let's just do this. Let's take a sip. The first initial sip offers the dark fruit tangling all the way through. Cherries, raisins, slight plums. Then after that, this is providing chocolate layers along with bourbon, oak and vanilla. I'm glad they doubled the recipe of 35k because even with it doubled, I feel like that bourbon is taking a lot of sweetness and chocolate away. Very good flavor nonetheless. The mouthfeel is warming from bourbon and dry from oak but I wish there was more carbonation to make it just bounce. Overall, I can definitely see how this is an award winner and I enjoyed having it. I would say I've had better for the style, but I would be forgetting that this actually is a milk/sweet stout overall and from that, I probably haven't. It's a damn good treat.

Sep 23, 2018

Radcpa from Washington

4.42/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Dark brown appearance with a slight tan head that dissipates quickly. Aroma is a nice bourbon malt combination. Taste is also a very pleasant smooth blend of bourbon and malt. A little thin.

Jul 27, 2018

Brutaltruth from Ohio

4.49/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

From the growler via Party Town in Kentucky and enjoyed in a snifter.
This kickin' stout pours a rich obsidian with a lovely head of medium brown
foam that subsides to a thick ring, thin layer, and displays some excellent
sudsy lacing. Nose of boozy bourbon, vanilla, woodsy oak, sweet cream,
deep roasted malts, and char touched marshmallow. Flavors nail it
on the WOW scale and follow with bourbon and sweet cream that isn't
so sweet that it takes on an "off" character, showing balance against an
onslaught of roasted malts showing flavors fudge, coffee, and rich
roast and char. Oaken and vanilla notes gain strength with warmth--
outstanding! Excellent mouth feel; full body, slick, coating, warming,
meaty, beaty, big, and bouncy. Low carbonation that is just enough to
give this behemoth some lift, and a warming sweet finish.

All in all---WOW. Period.

22 dollars a growler---need to make note of this more often.

Cheers

Jul 07, 2018

bluejacket74 from Ohio

4.34/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

750 ml bottle, no dating on it that I noticed. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch tan head that stuck around a little while. Not much lacing at all. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like bourbon, vanilla, roasted malt, coffee, and dark fruit. I think the taste is similar to the aroma, with bourbon, vanilla, bittersweet and milk chocolate, roasted malt, molasses, dark fruit, oak/woody and coffee flavors. Sweetness gets a little stronger as the beer warms, but isn't overpowering. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's smooth and a bit slick with a lower to moderate amount of carbonation. Easy enough to drink for being 13% ABV. I thought this was a pretty good barrel aged imperial stout, I tried this before on tap a couple years ago and it's just as good as I remember. Definitely worth picking up! $16.99 a bottle.

Dec 02, 2017

russpowell from Arkansas

4.37/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 2.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours an effervescent mahogany with a thumb of caramel head. Dissapointing head retention & lacing

S: Some Bourbon, a little ghost booze & figs, plus dark cherry

T: Barrel, but seems more like red wine, dryness, dark fruit, a touch of leathery dryness & a little dark chococlate up front. Some smokiness, , figs, leafy hops, a little red wine barrel & leathery dryness as this warms, plus a little raisin. Finishes oaky, red-winey, with little fig, black cherry & a little Bourbon on the edges

MF: Medium body, slight carbonation, warming

Pretty good, but not + $1 an ounce good. Glad I got to try it

Nov 12, 2017

HopHunter19 from Missouri

4.18/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A - dark brown black beer with a mocha head that leaves a nice lacing
S - big dark malts, dark and milkn chocolate, cream, v vanilla, umami, tiny bit of coconut, oak, bourbon but the barrel is very subdued
T - big dark malts, roasted malts, dark and milk chocolate, cream, milk, vanilla, slight bourbon and oak, little bit of a kahlua especial flavor with the syrupiness
M - heavy mouthfeel, alcohol covered at 13%, aftertaste is chocolate and cream
O - it's the best bba milk stout I've had, I don't think lactose and bba goes well together for some reason. Bba buffalo sweat is a good example of the sickening sweet flavor it creates. This doesn't have that though. I think the high abv helped give it a nice bite. It's still very dessert like though, almost syrupy at times, like Kahlua Especial.

Nov 08, 2017

jvgoor3786 from Arkansas

4.25/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a deep brown with a one-finger head and no lacing.

The smell is bourbon and bourbon, with a little bourbon in the background. As it warms a very nice, sweet cocoa smell comes through.

The taste follows with lots of bourbon but adds a subtle touch of dark fruit. The alcohol is well hidden for 13%. A light, sweet cocoa hits as it warms.

The mouthfeel is thinner than expected with low carbonation.

Overall this is very smooth and quite good.

Oct 29, 2017

BWood from California

4.53/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

L: dark midnight black. Nice head that goes away quick.

S: strong bourbon right out the gate. Subtle chocolate.

T: wow. This is really good. Bourbon melts in with the beer perfect. Sweet milk stout mellows everything out. Sweet chocolate at the end. Very very good

F: nice and smooth. Lingering flavor makes you want more.

O: this is a great beer. I would love to have more of this.

Oct 25, 2017

WattsofBeers from Kentucky

4.43/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Bomber into a tulip. Pours a very dark brown, near black. Rich, tan, one finger head that fades to a rim around the edge. Tight, cascading lacing.
S- Raw bourbon, super sweet milk chocolate, chocolate malts.
T- Incrdible amount of lactose and milk chocolate sweetness. Balanced nicely by the smooth bourbon. Not a lot of barrel presence in the sense of char or oak presence. Just super sweet and delicious bourbon.
M- Milk stout aspect shines through here. Silky, medium carbed. Not overly thick but definitely full and creamy.
O- Truly a dessert BBA stout. Super sweet and chock-full of chocolate without being cloying. Bourbon notes come in strong and fade effortlessly. Delicious BBA stout that I would revisit anytime.

Oct 17, 2017